This is the kind of car where you want to meet the owner and personally thank them for taking such good care of their car.

I had one of these. It was my favorite car that I ever owned. Fast as a V8, gas mileage of a four banger, comfortable as a luxury car, handled like a sport car, seats 4 comfortably, large trunk, and fun with the 5 speed. IT HAD IT ALL!

Sleeperdude would be in heaven!

My dad bought a black on red leather 87 in 88. It was his pride and joy, and I would go to his house and wash and clean it for him, as I had as a teenager on all the vehicles in my household. After he passed, in 97, my mom stored the car at her mother’s. After about a year, I asked if I could buy it from her, and instead, she GAVE it to me. It had 106K on it, and I commuted in that car for years, and eventually (regrettably) sold it to an enthusiast, at 357K miles. I did timing belts, and had to do a head gasket once, and at almost 300K, the cylinder cross hatching was STILL there. These were VERY special cars in the day, and Ford stepped up with components. World Class T5 5 speed, 8.8 limited slip, 4 wheel discs, quad shocks, I wish there was support for these. I’d happily have another. This car will bring big dollars, and I would be a player. Love your statement about the seller not taking trades for your garbage. THAT needs to be mentioned more often.

Ford still does the keypad like that but it’s built into the door sill and hidden unless you push your finger near it. Very cool!

I absolutely love these 80s Thunderbirds. What a beauty these cars were amazing in their time.

Had to show this at work to some friends today on break. They worked on the lines that made the red carpet and the trunk trim. At that point, the parts were hand cut after being molded to shape. They loved seeing their work still on the road.

Drove a friend's brand new Turbo Coupe in real time back in the day. Strong and refined, a perfect cross country touring car. The gentleman's Mustang SVO, featuring the same motor and transmission, slightly de-rated, I believe. In this era, Ford was on top of it's game in a big way.

Always loved these turbo coupes. This one is a great example.

These Thunderbird Turbo Coupes are really cool. I had a 88 Mark Vll with the 5.0 HO engine, I got 300,000 miles before it died 😐

Love these Aero Birds! Used to see these all the time in NYC. The 80s were the era of the Personal Coupe (Thunderbird, Cougar, Monte Carlo, Cutlass Supreme, Regal...And the Grand Prix) All Fantastic cars.

My uncle had a 1983 Cougar, same body style/platform as this car. Ford really hit its stride in the '80s after stumbling badly in the Malaise Era. Absolutely love those Turbo 2.3L Limas! From the TurboCoupe to the SVO Mustang to the XR4Ti, it was an amazing engine.

The sticker on the fan cowling looks new, that's the craziest part.

I had that exact car about twenty years back. Bought it with 40k on it. Amazing car for the era quite quick and a great cruiser. It won MotorTrend car of the year in 87, but '88 was the year to have as Ford allowed full boost in all 5 forward gears, and it had 8.8 posi. It was a special car. Mine got 25mpg around town, and it was the MOST aerodynamic car of the era. Ford engineers said a 5hp briggs would keep it at 55mph on a flat hwy it had such low drag coefficient. It would pull almost a full G on the skid pad too which was unheard of for such a large car. The auto dampening struts actually worked and worked well! It was a great ride, I miss mine.

In 1988 I was a senior in high school and remember these cars well. I loved the styling and remember this car was named car of the year by Motor Trend magazine.

I bought an '87 T-bird LX with a 6 cylinder new. Brought both of my sons home from the hospital as newborns in it. It was a great, reliable comfortable car but, oh man, I wanted that Turbo Coupe. Couldn't afford it, though.

The 80's were definitely a cool time to grow up in!

I have the X4ti that shared the same engine. Now I want a Turbocoupe and an SVO REAL BAD now because of this video. Thanks Car WIzard

Wizard: "Exhaust isn't rusty and rotted." Camera: Immediately focuses on a ton of rust holes in the exhaust.

That is just an amazing sight to see a car more than 30 years old that is in that great of factory condition! Props to whoever owned it all these years.

At 11:27 it sure looks like there are holes in the exhaust. Great video!

One of my 80's favorites! I graduated HS in '89...this was one of the hot cars of the era.

Back in the day my neighbor who was a private pilot for hire had a blue one just like this and he loved loved loved that thing,,,, it was beautiful.. He drove the crap out of it and put a lot of miles on it with no problems..

Ford's keyless entry pad has been and is still very much alive. Had one on my 95 Crown Vic, 96 Explorer, 07 Edge, and 17 F150...

This highly optioned Thunderbird easily satisfies my 80s button fetish. Manual Turbo Coupes were rare even when new and were highly desirable

I remember driving a brand new one (automatic) with all those options from San Jose to LA. Friends father worked for Ford, so he always had the latest. It was a great hwy car, and had a lot of power for its day. Fun ride.

My dad and mom back in the day had a sliver 87 automatic and in 1993 my family and I was in a violent car wreck, someone ran us off the highway and we hit a sewer grate and caused the car to flip . My mother was life flighted with broken up knee caps . And rest of us was ok , truly a miracle. Older brother and younger sister was in back seat with me, and I was just 4 years old at the time . I remember bits and pieces of it. God and his angles was with us that day .

In '87 I worked at the local Ford Dealership. The '88 Thunderbird came out. A local Race Car Driver came to buy one. I caught him and his wife on the lot. We go for a test drive. He SCARED the TOTAL HELL out of me and his wife. But man, could he drive!! And yes, he bought the car. That had to be one of the most FUN test drives I ever went on.

This is a staggeringly cool car and the condition is just… perfect. Cleanest car you have had in yet. Great video.

I love the Turbo series of Fords - XR4Ti, Mustang SVO and the T-Bird! Easy to work on and fun to drive!

A 1988 red T-Bird! All I can think of is Bill Elliott! My dad bought an '88 (knowing they were being redesigned for '89) after Elliott won the 1988 Winston Cup....

I had an ‘87 with the 302 auto. No lie, it got 32 mpg on the highway with the a/c going. Loved the interior too, just like this. Sometimes wish I never let it go!

I remember these. I drove a couple when they were new or near new. In my opinion these were the one of the best if not the best sport touring cars available from anybody, domestic or foreign. Great performance, ride and comfort. They were very tight, rattle and squeak free. I never drove anything which was even close to this car. This most definitely is one of the rare truly great cars Ford made. This is a Thunderbird which lived up to is name and pedigree in every way.

Brings back memories. Always loved me some Thunderbird. Had an 85 TC 5spd, then 3 SC, 89 5 spd, 91 auto then a 94 5 spd. Last had some performance and suspension mods. Not a drag strip queen or a canyon carver but she would hold her own in those areas. Shined on the highway, nice stable ride.

I had an 88 TC manual for a few years. The previous owner upgraded the turbo and a couple of other parts. Definitely one of the best cars I’ve owned.

Awesome car and great survivor. I owned two predecessors but closely related to this car: a 1983 Turbo Coupe, and a 1985 Turbo Coupe. The 1985 was almost the same color as this car. Medium Canyon Red Metallic, if I recall. The interior was charcoal, but the interior looked almost the same as this car. The main differences between the 1985 and 1988, was the addition of the intercooler and another 45 HP from it, the hood scoops for the intercooler, the nose and headlights, wheels, rear taillights, and the adjustable suspension. I’m not sure if this car had it, or you just missed it, but the rear suspension had a unique setup with a horizontally mounted shock, in addition to the traditional vertically mounted shock. Quadra shock suspension I think they called it, and it was unique to the 1980’s Turbo Coupes. The Mustang GT and SVO may have had it too, and possibly the Lincoln Mark VII LSC, as they were all on the same Fox platform. But it was a pretty unique setup, and I’ve never seen it since. Great cars, and I miss mine. The 1983 the most, as it was my first car, and the first of the turbo T-birds.

Back in the early 1980's, I wrote a weekly automotive column for a local suburban newspaper. The Big 3 were great at the time with press cars for review. Got a call from Ford one day wanting me to go with a couple of engineers to test drive their new Turbo T-Bird. They let me drive, and were extremely proud of the fact that the car had zero turbo lag. I was encouraged at the next red light to give it the beans when the light turned green. The light turned, I sidestepped the clutch and nailed the gas, and all four connecting rods and the crank left via the oil pan. The engineers turned an ashen color and mumbled about not having all the bugs out yet. I told them to call me back when they did, but they never called, lol.

I would love that car. I sold those new. That was my first job that car drove great. I had a Fiero GT V6 every 4000 miles. I made 58 k my first year in the business. 200 horsepower was a lot back then. That car was so easy to work on. I can't remember one car coming back for any warranty work. Thanks wizard

I owned the identical car to this back in 2003. I painted it viper blue with a rainbow metallic clear. Mirror tinted everything but the windshield. Lifted the rear end with air shocks to take 245 width tires and ran 225 up front. Had a hurst shifter on the trans to shorten the throws with a T-handle for a grip. This thing would set you back in your seat when you hammered it in second gear and the turbo spooled. Loved the hell out of that car. If you are looking for a full size car that fits a full-size man and is fun to drive this is the car. A lot of fox-body stuff fits too. Beat a few Mustangs with this car back in the day. Drove it to NY from WI and back with my kid and it had 130k on it at the time. Wish I could buy this car.

I had my 88 TC for 7 years. Black with gray interior. Gorgeous car. Added some small bolt-ons to make it a little quicker. Also a FMS 140 Speedo. Lots of parking lot compliments. Should have kept it...Let her go at 80K miles

I quit smoking so l could buy a 1989 T. Bird. It was an automatic . a beautiful dark blue and blue interior. Must say it was mighty fine on road trips. My husband at the time let his girlfriend drive it and she wrapped it around a telephone pole. So now they are both gone. I told the salesman l did not want a car that.talks to you. That was the new thing back in the day. I freaked out while driving the first time at night because the rear view mirror had a sensor in it that moved and made a sound . when a car with the lights on pulled up behind you it would move to a darker mode so their lights wouldn't blind you. Lol l jumped when it happened .

Beautiful car! My older brother's buddy had one when they were in High School and I fell in love with it!

I was driving in Wisconsin in 1988 when I saw a turbo T Bird blasting down a country road passing everything sometimes leaving the road to drive on the gravel. I said “who does this guy think he is Mario “. When he passed me his personal plate said “AJFOYt”. He was coming from a farm that he owned. His road skills were incredible.

One of my favorite cars. Jack Rousch built several of these for Bob Bondurant Driving School at Sears point raceway for their instructors. They were equipped with HO 5.0 motors and the 5 speed manual tranny,very fun car.

Always loved this body style!!

That little 2.3 turbo motor was fun. I had one out of a '88 turbo coupe that came out of a rolled thunder bird and I bought a 1993 Ranger with a blown motor. Put the turbo motor into the Ranger. It was a surprisingly easy swap, but man that was a fun truck having a 5-speed behind that turbo motor.

I miss the velour interiors of the 80's, that stuff was plush man

I owned this exact car back in 1992 that I purchased with 34000 miles on it. I enjoyed that car better than any vehicle that I've purchased since then. Only modifications that I made was, I installed a K&N air filter system and flowmaster mufflers on it. It was a very powerful car for a 4-cylinder, and I could travel 500 miles on 1/2 tank of gas. I do admit also that I've smoked several V-8's with that 4-cylinder. That was a very nice presentation of the vehicle on your show and I'd love to own it.

I always loved these. I had bought one of these with a blown motor really cheap back in the late 80s early 90s. I decided to build it up as a track pro stock style car. I got a full race chassis for it, used a 460 I had salvaged from a 71 Continental I totally rebuilt for the track. I got about 80% of the work done on the project when someone I knew offered me a Shelby Daytona turn key kit car on a Datsun 280 donor vehicle. Had a really well done 302. I forget the brand name of the kit but at the time it was one of the best on the market. Even trade and I couldn't say no. Ever since I have been searching for a Turbo Coupe in decent shape just to restore.

My wife had an '85 and '89, both V8 automatics. They were both great cars.

A friend of mine had one of these in high school ca. 2003, he absolutely loved it and it was still a pretty cool car at the time, but, I remember the shifter was really, really worn out, you could hardly tell what gear you were it, it just flopped around vaguely. He wrecked it speeding on a back road, lost control hopping over a railroad crossing and plowed straight into a telephone pole. Cracked the Thunderbird badge on the front perfectly in half, I mean perfect 50-50, couldn't have cut it neater if you measured, he kept that piece as a souvenir

This car looks better than anything on the road today.

Love that Tbird! My favorite car of all time (87-88 turbo). Absolutely beautiful. Design still great today.

Euroasian Bob sounds like a few Motor Vehicle Dealers I knew when I sold Advertising to those guys. Dealers like Bob had the best relationships with the New Car Dealers that refused to sell old cars in their Yards, they Wholesaled cars like this to their Friends. Bob probably has a lot of New Car Dealers as Friends. I'm an Aussie...😁👍🤘

Now that is a Thunder Chicken!!! So many memories in those cars.

We had one of these. The same color and same year. The only difference was a gray interior. The one thing that people don't realize about these cars is that it was one of the first ABS brake cars on the road. The car really handled well and you could basically turn the wheel as hard as you wanted and it would stay flat and planted. We ended up shipping it off to Texas to my wife's sister, because she loved it so much, so we gave it to her when we bought another car. The only problem I had with it was a timing belt and water pump. Other than that, it was a good car, slightly ahead of its time.

Oh my god!! I want that T-bird now! IMO it is the absolute greatest year, make, and model Thunderbird. Especially that color. In fact, it should be put in an automotive museum because of how perfect it is. Seeing that iconic fascia reminds me of Bob Glidden and his Thunderbird funny car dominating the NHRA. What a sensation Ford achieved in '87/'88.👌🏻

Those fox birds drove fantastic, i had one best driving car i ever had.

I owned one of these in 1999, grey 1988 turbo coupe 5 spd and that car taught me how to shift fast! was a fun car but wasn't reliable enough, just had high mileage issues.. 170 or 190k on odometer, I just remember they were high.. That car would get out and move pretty good from a stop and brakes worked real well, cool car!

You’re right. There’s almost none left in this condition. I’ve been through many of these cars and this one is almost perfect.

This is now one of my favorite episodes. I love the Merkur Scorpio episode too

Pretty amazing condition for a 33 year old car. They seem almost forgotten now, and it's rare to see one on the road, but they were amazing vehicles for their time.

that is the first 1980s ford radio that i have seen actually with a working crystal display

This car got driven aprox 454 miles a YEAR! Let that sink in. When I was in Jr High(1988) there was a clinic across the street and a lady Dr. had one in white(pearl?) also with the 5spd. I always loved the styling of this car. Watching this video just took me back to 1988!

Saw this in the background of one of your other videos. Glad you're featuring it!

I tried to talk my dad into buying one of these new in '86. He ended up buying a Merkur XR4Ti instead. Good choice too.

Beautiful car! My first new car was a 1984 Thunderbird TC 5 speed but I got tired of changing gears and traded it in and bought a new Mustang GT automatic loaded, I loved both cars to death.

My Grandfather had an ‘87 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Black with a red leather interior. I miss that car. We live in Canada however my grandfathers car was an American car, everything was in miles and gallons instead of kilometres and litres. I turned 16 in ‘87 and was the only person other than him who was allowed to drive the car. I still remember hitting 125 miles per hour before remembering that it was miles/hour not kilometres/hour. It road like it was on rails, so steady and felt planted.

The better mustang. And my 90' thunderbird's automatic lights worked amazing. It'd turn off the highbeams when you entered a town. It'd turn them off AS SOON as a cars headlights were seen, quicker than I could do it. Plus you had cornering lights. They were awesome cars.

Hey, Wizard … just an FYI, but Ford still uses the keypads (not necessarily on top of the door handle), old school is still current school!

I was a 20s-something when this was new - now I know it was a great car back in the day

So funny. One of the first generation of production turbos starting in late 70’s that left a great automotive mark in history. I had friends who owned. Car still brings a smiles. Especially tbirds that did not have the snot beat out of them.

Always loved these. The manual trans seals it.. I want.

I loved these Turbo Coupes. In the early 1990s, I worked with a guy who had one. I got to go for a ride in it and was very impressed. That was considering my car back the was a 1985 5.0 Mustang GT 5 speed. I'd really like to find one today. I wish I could buy this one.

This is a time capsule. Just wow I love the Thunderbird Turbo Coupes, my uncle had one, same color in and out, also an 88 and 5 speed. He traded in back in the late 90s.

Ford still offers the key pad entry.

My sister had one almost exactly like this one only in automatic as her first car in in 94, and man was it still a sweet ride at the time. glad to see one in such great shape. 👍

What a gem! I forgot that Ford already had practice doing a 2.3L eco from back in the day. The red L should have a key pad as well - I didn't realize that Ford was doing in the 80s too.

Friend of mine had an '86 four eye turbo coupe. No intercooler from the factory. I installed one for him as well as an oil accumulator to feed the turbo for 60 seconds after turning car off and an adjustable wastegate. He had a power moonroof installed and the most tasteful ground effects kit put on the car and I'm typically not a ground effects advocate. It was silver and black and absolutely gorgeous.

I'm going to try this one last time. The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on KZfaq and I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just walking around. Maybe if this post gets enough thumbs up The Car Wizards and Mrs Wizards will make such a video for us.

I don't remember seeing one as nice as this one in 1988.

I had the door code keypad on my 2012 & 2010 F- 150 my Dad had it on his 2001 & 2004 F - 150s and he had it on his 1994 CrownVictoria One of my first jobs out of High School in 1985 was a Service Department Service Porter at a Suburban Ford Dealer in Chicago Land I fell in love with the Aerobird generation even more then the 5.0 Mustangs

I’m the original owner of an 86 turbo coupe five speed in medium charcoal metallic. It has 40k miles on it and was my first new car!I have had it in storage since 1990. It is wearing its first replacement Goodyear gator back tires from then LOL

Wow, Wizard. I am trying to remember the last time I saw an 80s or even a 90s T-Bird. Back in the day, the Super Coupes were such cool cars. Thanks for sharing that amazing car

One of my all time favorite cars! This car was way better looking than the car that followed it. Ford got the Thunderbird just right. They botched it IMHO with the MN12 1989 to 1997 model. Regarding the keypads, you're mistaken. Ford STILL uses that system. The F150 and Super Dutys use them, and so do many other late model Fords such as the Fusion, Edge, etc.

I always like those mid '80s Thunderbirds and that one is immaculate. The $17,995 he's asking is a totally fair price, considering that much would get you a Mitsubishi Mirage these days!

That is just in such supreme condition.

Ford still offers the keypad entry, except is hidden in the C pillar. Had the same car in blue. Awesome!

Wow! It truly has all of the perfect options, save a moonroof/T-top roof. Thanks for another video tour.

I know of a ‘88 Turbo Coupe in an Alabama garage with 600 miles not even dealer prepped. Grey/grey fully loaded 5 speed. Beautiful car. I saw it when I bought my all original ‘89 Ranger GT from him.

I would say it's a perfect Hoovie car, but it's TOO perfect to be a Hoovie car.

Makes me think of the 1984 Mercury Topaz that was our family car, when I was growing up. All those Ford/Mercury/Lincoln cars all had a similar look to each other back then.

Woah ! Awesome condition! I remember those back in the days ! I think it was " sport car of the year " back then .

I still have my 88 Turbo Coupe. She has 159k on her and still gets 31 mpg highway. Everything works and is a driver. Love the car. That one is immaculate.

Great review...thank you. I had the same car that I bought new in '88 and had it for six years. Mine was dark blue and had an auto, which gives up 40hp to the manual, unfortunately. One of the most comfortable cars I ever owned, and very nimble in firm mode. Best of luck to the new owner.

LOVE this old Bird! Seeing the interior gave me flashbacks to my 1988 Mercury Sable that looked just like it minus some of the incredible options for the time.

You could get these with the same HO 302 from the Mustang GT and Lincoln Mark VII. My Dad had an ‘88 Thunderbird LX in white with that same “sea of red” interior. Had every option this one has. I loved that car, always felt unique and special when we pulled up to a party or a group of others because it was like a luxury muscle car in a sea of sedans and minivans. Mrs Wizard, the auto-bright lamp function on these cars worked PERFECTLY. The second the road got pitch black those brights would kick on and stay on until there were headlights coming then it would kick off the brights immediately. And like others have said, Ford still offers the easy pass code on the F-Series trucks and all Ford and Lincoln SUVs. Even with a remote, the code access is great because you can lock your keys IN the car.

I bought one of these brand new rather than a 5.0 Mustang. I looooooved it!

Those all have a Traction-Lok rear differential as standard too!!

A guy I knew years ago had this model-Absolutely beautiful inside and out! And it was a dream to drive!